Just in time for Valentine's Day

I saw this pattern on the newest Knitty online edition, and couldn't resist trying it. It's an anatomically correct heart, just the thing for your sweetie for Valentine's Day. I like to knit three- dimensional stuffed things like toys, and this looked like a good use for leftover sock yarn. In reality, I think it took more yarn than that, but you could perhaps combine a couple of leftovers in one heart. It was easy to make for a sock knitter, being knit in the round with DP needles, and is seamless. It took me a couple of evenings - I'll definitely make another one. If you are not familiar with Knitty, do have a look at www.knitty.com. It is loaded with creative, free patterns, and has lots of interesting articles.

In Memoriam: Amazing Grace

My dear old kitty friend Gracie passed away in her sleep on January 3. She was nearly 18 years old, a small cat with fine whiskers and a big purr. She had the typical strong willed calico personality and was the boss of the house. In her youth she used to visit nursing homes and move from lap to lap, purring and settling in as her admirers petted her and told stories about their own pets. She was variously known as Amazing Grace, Gracie, Gracie Poo, Poogie, or just Poo. She truly graced our home and had many friends. She kept her big purr to the end of her life. We miss you, Gracie.

Martha's first socks

Martha bought our DVD, The Zen of Socks, and also some hand-dyed yarn, and this is the result - her first pair of socks, and they look perfect to me. She says they are a little too tight for her, so her lucky daughter gets them. She is already planning how to make a slightly bigger pair for herself. Way to go, Martha!

Now they can be shown!

Here are my socks for Christmas 2008. I didn't want to post them earlier because I didn't want to spoil any surprises - you never know who actually looks at these blogs, do you? The green stripey socks are for my daughter-in-law, Sarah. She is seen modeling them in Oaxaca, drinking coffee on the deck Christmas morning. They are made from a really great cotton blend from Online yarns, in their Summer color series. They are 45% cotton, 40% wool and 15% nylon, and very soft. note the picot edge on the cuff. The bright blue striped socks are for my sister-in-law Liz. She lives in snowy Wisconsin and appreciates a good warm sock. These are made with Berroco Sox yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. Berroco is made in Romania and has really wonderful color combinations. The yarn is a bit on the thicker side of fingering so makes a warm, long wearing sock. The blue lacy socks are for my sister-in-law Meg. She lives in Oklahoma so doesn't need super warm socks. These were made with a hand-dyed Lorna's Lace yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. The lace pattern knitted up surprisingly quickly, and the tight twist of the yarn made it a good choice for a lace pattern. Click on the image to enlarge the photo so you can see the lace pattern. The last pair, also blue, are for my friend Nancy. They are made with my hand-dyed yarn, still my favorite yarn to knit socks with. I'm very pleased with the heathery look of the finished socks. These socks are super soft. This yarn is available on the Society Socks website - check out the color combinations.

This just in

Are you always looking for good things to do with your extra sock yarn? Shirley made her new IPod a hoodie. Is that cute or what?

Newly dyed yarn

I spent much of the Thanksgiving long weekend dyeing more yarn. Some of these are a little different from ones I have done in the past. They are variations of one color, to give a heathered look. They are great for lace patterns, but also make beautiful plain knit socks. You can see some of the variegated yarn in front of the basket. Go to the website, societysocks.com, to get a better look at these yarns. I'll bet you know someone who would like one of the instructional DVDs, The Zen of Socks, and a nice skein of yarn for Christmas.

Emily's mittens

Emily is a newly graduated geologist with a penchant for working in cold climates like the Alaskan ice fields and far northern Norway. So, when she decided to take up knitting, she picked felted mittens as her first project. She knitted two strands of wool worsted together, one red and one blue, on size 10 1/2 double pointed needles, casting on 24 stitches. We sort of played the pattern by ear, and finished off the top of the mitten with Kitchener stitch. When she was done, the felting process took only about 20 minutes. As you can see, it was a complete success! She already has plans for two more pairs of mittens for Christmas presents - I'll bet she makes it.